Dynamo-driving mechanism.



No. 642,58. Patented Feb. s, |900. n. M. mxoN.

DYNAMO DRIVING MECHANISM.

(Application med sept. 14, 159s.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

N0. 642,589. Patented Feb. 6, |900. R. M. DIXON;

DYNAMO DRIVING MECHANISM.

(Application led Sept. 14, 189B.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

No. 642,589. Patented Feb. 6, |900.

H. M. DIXON.

DYNAMU DRIVING MECHANISM.

(Application filed Sept. 14, 1898.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

NITE STATES ROBERT MUNN DIXON, OF EAST ORANGE, NEV JERSEY.

DYNAiVlO-DRIVING IVIECHANISIVI.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 642,589,-dated February 6, 1900.

Application filed September 14, 1898. Serial No. 690,945. (No modeLl To all whom t may con/cern.:

Be it known that I, ROBERT MUNN DIXON, of East Orange, in the county of Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dynamo-Driving Mechanism, of which the following is a complete specitication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to produce means for driving the armature-shaft of a dynamo by power derived from a rotatory shaft, which will automatically actuate the armature-shaft when the rotatory shaft attains a certain rate of speed and which prevents the actuation of the armature-shaft until such predetermined rate of speed is reached.

My invention is applicable` especially to car-trucks in which the/car-axle is the rotatory shaft above referred to that furnishes the power for driving the armature-shaft.

In mechanism for driving an armatureshaft from a car axle much unnecessary strain and wear are occasioned by compelling the armature-shaft to revolve at all times with the car-axle-independent of the rate of speed of the latter. For example, a certain minimum rate of speed is essential to the proper operation of the dynamo, and the rotation of the armature-shaft at a less rate of speed produces Wear upon the running parts without any practical gain. Moreover, it the car be overloaded or running upgrade its speed will be reduced below the minimum necessary to the proper operation oth-the dynamo, and if at such times the load ofthe armature-shaft of the dynamo be laid upon the car-axle it imposes additional and useless strain.

By the employment of my invention it is practicable to load the work of rotating the armature-shaft upon the car-axle only when the latter is running freely and at a high rate of speed. At other times the vaxle and armature-shaft are disconnected, the latter remaining stationary and the former running free of the unnecessary load.

In practice it is proposed to store the electricity generated during the activity of the armature, so that a constant source of supply of electric energy is available for use, the Waste lfrom such source of supply or storage battery being made up from time to time when the dynamo connected therewith is in operation.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is a plan View of a portion of a car-truck equipped with the preferred form of embodiment of my invention. Fig. II is a section on the line II II of Fig. I. Fig. III illustrates, upon an enlarged scale, the gear-housing, as shown in Fig. II, with a portion broken away to exhibit the relations of the gear and armature-shaft pinion contained therein. Fig. IV is a top plan view of the gear-housing detached from the truck and the friction-rim adjacent thereto upon the axle. Fig. V is a section, partly in elevation, on the line V V of Fig. III. Y Fig. VI is a section on the line VI VI of Fig. VII. Fig. VII is a side elevation of the friction-rim with its contained mechanism, a portion of the gear-housing being shown behind it as the parts appear in the assembled positions.

Referring to the figures on the drawings, 1 indicates a portion of a truck-frame, which may be of any preferred type, that illustrated being shown by way of example.

2 indicates the axle of the truck, and 3 the wheels thereof.

Upon a suitable and properly-disposed supporting-beam 4 of the truck-frame is secured, as by bolts 5, the upper half 6 of a two-part gear-housing, to which, as by corresponding flan ges 7 and 8 upon the respective parts and by bolts 9, is secured the lower portion 10 of the housing. The gear-housing is provided with an internal annular ange 11, concentric with the axle 2, that serves to support coaxially around the axle 2, but out of contact with it, the sleeve 12. The sleeve is provided with a bearing-ring 13, fitted between annular projections 14 and 15 thereon. The bearing-ring revoiublysupports a gear 16, Whose hub 17 is held snugly, as by iianges 18, upon the bearing-ring, and an exterior flanged bearing-ring 19, set in a recess in the external periphery of the hub and filling the space between said recess and an annular fiange 2O of the gear-housing.

The hub 17 of the gear 16 carries upon one end, outside of the ange-ring 2O of the gearhousing, a friction-rim 21, secured to the hub, so as to revolve with it and with the gear 16.

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The friction-rim is preferably in two parts, each part being respectively provided with flanges 22, that are united by bolts 23.

The rim 21 constitutes a portion of automatic speed-actuated coupling mechanism, by the employment whereof under desired conditions the axle may be coupled to or uncoupled from the gear 16. The rim 21, constituting an element in a preferred form of mechanism for this purpose, is designed to contain movable shoes, which may be impelled by centrifugal force derived from the rotation of the axle into such frictional contact with the inner periphery of the rim as will suffice, when the speed of rotation of the axle is high enough, to operatively couplethe rim and axle together.

In the form of embodiment illustrated the centrifugally-actuated mechanism described consists, preferably, of a Wheel 25, secured to the axle, as by a hub 26, and provided at suitable intervals with radial lugs 27, to which, as indicated at 2S, are pivoted arms 29, carrying upon their free ends shoes 30, adapted to make frictional contact with the inner periphery of the rim 21.

Within an annular recess 31 in the hub 26 I provide a split ring 32, which is provided with a number of eyelets 33, corresponding to the number of shoes 30. A coiled tensionspring 34 connects each one of the eyelets with an eyelet 35 upon the adjacent shoe 30. The springs serve to hold the shoes 30 out of contact with the rim 21, and it is against the tension of those springs that centrifugal force operates in the manner above specified. The tension of the respective springs 34 may be uniformly regulated by movement of the ring 32 around the hub 26. Such adjustment may be effected as by the aid of a threaded pin 36, movably secured at one end, as indicated at 37, to the ring 32 and at the other end to an eyelet 38, projecting from the ring 25. Nuts 39 and 40 upon opposite sides of the eyelet screwing upon the pin 36 serve to adjust the pin and to secure it in fixed positions.

The mechanism above described for automatically coupling and uncoupling the axle 2 and gear 16 is designed, as Was suggested at the outset, to provide means for driving the armature-shaft of a dynamo under conditions already specified. Accordingly I prefer to construct the gear-housing of such yshape and dimensions as will accommodate a pinion 41. (See Figs. III and V.) This pinion meshes with the gear 16, from which it derives motion. It is secured to the armatureshaft 42 of a dynamo, Whose case is indicated by the reference-numeral 43. The case is suitably suspended from the truck-frame, as by a connectingpost 44, depending from the cross-beam 45.

The end of the gear-housing which carries the pinion 41 may be sustained, as by a link 46, connected to the housing at one end and at the other end to the supporting-beam 4.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Assuming the car to be in motion, the axle 2 rotates, carrying with it the hub 26, with its Wheel 5 and shoes 30, carried upon the Wheel. Normally, as above specified, the shoes 30 revolve freely Within the rim 21 under the tension of their respective springs 34. The tension of the springs is regulated so as to yield when sufficient centrifugal force through the revolution of the axle 2 is developed. When, therefore, the required speed in the axle 2 has been attained, the shoes 30 are forced out by centrifugal force into contact with the inner periphery of the rim 21 and taking hold of the rim by frietional contact therewith carry it with them. The rim, as has been said, is secured to the hub 17 of the gear 16. Consequently the gear 16 is caused to revolve, and it in turn imparts motion through the pinion 41 to the armature-shaft 42. Consequently the armature-shaft continues to revolve While a certain minimum speed of rotation of the shaft 2 is maintained. When the speed of rotation of the shaft 2 drops below the minimum to which the tension of the springs 34 is set, the shoes 30 break contact With the rim 21, which thereupon ceases to revolve with the axle and to drive the dynamo.

That I claim is- The combination With a car-truck frame and its axle, of a gear-housing suspended from the truck-frame, a sleeve supported by the gear-housing around the axle, a gear mounted upon the sleeve Within the housing, a pinion Within the housing meshing with the gear, an armature-shaft secured to the pinion, a friction-rim secured to the gear outside of the housing, and centrifugally-actuated pressure mechanism secured to the axle Within the rim, substantially as set forth.

In testimony of all which I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ROBERT MUNN DIXON.

Witnesses:

ERNEST F. SLOCUM, Louis SHAUGHNEss.

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